Most computing devices comprise some form of operating system that controls the execution of other programs and manages scheduling, input-output, files and data, and memory usage. From time to time, users may wish to replace those operating systems. For example, replacement may be appropriate when the operating system becomes corrupted or when the system developer creates a software patch that is intended to remedy one or more glitches of the system. In other cases, the developer may create a new version of the operating system that users may wish to install.
In some cases, a device owner may be entitled to install a new operating system image to replace an existing operating system for little or no charge. One example of such a case relates to terminal computers that comprise an embedded version of an operating system stored in re-writable, solid-state memory of the computer. When a user purchases such a device, the user becomes licensed to use the embedded operating system stored in the device and may be entitled to download that same operating system from the Internet for recovery purposes or even download a new version of the operating system for free or for a nominal charge.
One problem with the scenario described above is that device users that purchased a computing device (e.g., terminal computer) that comprises a given type of operating system may attempt to download and install a different type of operating system for which the user is not licensed. For example, if the user purchased a computer that comprises Microsoft Windows CE™, that user may not be entitled to install Microsoft Windows XP™. Therefore, needed is a system and method to control what programs, including operating systems, can be installed on a computing device.